Smart meters inspire 86% of people to take energy-saving actions

Study reveals positive impact of smart meters on their owners’ energy use, evidencing how the benefits actually increase over time.

New research by Smart Energy GB – the national campaign for the smart meter roll out – shows that 86% of smart meter owners change their behaviour to make energy savings once their device is installed.

The report, Smart meters and energy usage, demonstrates how the benefit of having a smart meter actually increases over time rather than diminishing as the novelty of the new technology wears off.

For instance, asked about a range of energy saving actions taken, nearly four in ten (39%) of smart meter owners fitted energy efficient light bulbs immediately after having one installed. This figure then rose to more than two thirds (67%) for those who’d had a smart meter for two years or longer.

Similarly, three-quarters of people (77%) said they were doing as much as they could to save energy immediately after getting a smart meter, with this rising to 83% for those who’d had one installed for more than a two year period.

These are the findings from a survey of 2,332 people in the UK regarding their energy usage before and after upgrading to a smart meter.

7.7 million smart meters installed in UK

There are now more than 7.7 million smart meters installed across Britain as part of the UK government’s Smart Metering Programme. The roll out aims to install over 50 million smart gas and electricity meters in all domestic properties (as well as smart or advanced meters in smaller non-domestic sites) by the end of 2020, impacting roughly 30 million premises.

Fitted with an in-home display screen, smart meters show you your exact energy usage in pounds and pence (in near real time), enabling the consumers to actively manage and reduce their energy consumption.

Commenting on the findings, Claire Maugham, Director of Policy and Communications at Smart Energy GB, said: “This research shows that smart meters are bringing real changes to people’s bills for the millions of homes who’ve already had theirs installed – and that we’re using our smart meters to make positive changes to our energy behaviour more and more, the longer we have them.

“The national rollout of smart meters is bringing our energy system up to date, transforming how we use energy in our homes and building a reliable and secure energy supply for Great Britain.”

Smart Energy GB’s latest study on smart meters follows the organisation’s Smart Energy Outlook report in August, which highlighted a general rise in positive perception of smart meters, including the finding that 76 per cent of smart meter owners would recommend the technology.

You can read our summary of Smart Energy Outlook here.